I would not be a true “Montréalaise” if I allowed a collection of creepy stories without the gruesome tale of Mary Gallagher.

On the morning of June 27th, Mary, her friend Michael Flanagan decided, fatefully, it would turn out, to visit her friend and fellow prostitute, Susan Kennedy. Susan lived at 242 William Street, on the second floor.

Susan Kennedy was tried and found guilty of Mary’s murder.
Also at the residence was Susan’s husband – Jacob. Jacob left the home, shortly after Mary and Michael arrived. Susan testified that she left Michael and Mary alone, while she went out to buy whiskey.

When she returned, Kennedy, Gallagher and Flanagan attempted to polish off the bottle. Kennedy, during the inquiry, reported that Flanagan went to lie down, as a result of the whiskey’s effects, in a bedroom.

According to Kennedy’s testimony, she followed him and sat down to “talk”; while they were “talking”, Kennedy’s husband came home and was not impressed by finding his wife (although she was a prostitute), in bed – with Flanagan.
There was an exchange of words between Kennedy and her husband, and he stormed out of the residence.
It is important to note that Jacob Mears, Kennedy’s husband did not drink; Kennedy, on the other hand, not only drank but was known as a rather unpredictable as well as a nasty drunk.

Flanagan was called to testify at Susan Kennedy’s trial and claimed that when he decided to have a lie down, Susan and Mary were in friendly spirits. He said, when he woke up in the afternoon, he was thirsty and asked Susan to get him a glass of water. Flanagan then suggested that they go out for a beer; there was a heated discussion regarding who would pick up the tab. Flanagan left and claimed that he saw Mary lying, face down on the floor. He claimed that there was no blood to be found. He further claimed to have not questioned why Mary was on the floor because he was in too much of a hurry to grab something to drink.

Susan’s version of the events were somewhat different. She claims that she was in bed with Flanagan, sleeping when she heard Mary invite a man into Kennedy’s home. Susan claims to have met the man, previously, but couldn’t remember his name. Due to drink, she fell back asleep but was awakened by arguing between Mary and this mysterious stranger.
Susan went back to sleep; when she awakened, the arguing had stopped….the man was gone and Mary was no more.

Susan testified, “When I saw her I got such a fright that I fell upon the floor. She was lying on her breast. Her body was next to the door with the feet pointing to the street. Her head was in the tub, also one of her hands. I am not sure but that this hand was on the floor. I went to call the police but I was too weak.” Going on, Kennedy claimed Flanagan not only saw the state of Mary’s body but when he did, he ran away.

Poor Jacob, Kennedy’s sad sack hubby, came home to the sight of Mary’s dismembered body. He left is wife in the home and ran to get the police.

Kennedy’s clothes were covered in blood. She claimed that while trying to clean up, she slipped and fell in it.

The police called in, to testify, said: Kennedy had told them that “a man came into the house Friday morning and gave her (Kennedy) some money, which, arousing the jealousy of the deceased, the latter and the man had a quarrel and the man killed her. She said she saw the man wash the blood from his hands and clear out. Before going he warned her not to tell the police. She did not know the man’s name, and was glad he had escaped because he was a good-looking fellow.”

This is a link to the story in the Witness. http://collections.banq.qc.ca/erezFullScreen…

The mystery man was never identified but, the police did find Jacob’s axe covered in blood, flesh and hair, inside the Kennedy/Mears home. Susan and Michael Flanagan were arrested.

During the trial – witnesses claimed to have heard fighting between the two women and Kennedy screaming, at someone in the flat, “If you don’t leave me alone, I’ll split your head open.”

The tenant, living downstairs from Kennedy, testified that she hears a loud sound, like a body drop, then, the sound of the axe being used on something. She also claimed to have heard Kennedy say, “I’ve wanted revenge for a long time. I finally got it.”

Kennedy was found guilty and Flanagan was released. She was sentenced to be hung on Dec. 5th.
She didn’t hang, instead her sentence was commuted, and she spent the next 16 years in prison. She was released and promptly disappeared.

Michael Flanagan ended up drowning, on Dec. 5th , in 1879 – strangely, on the very day that Susan had been scheduled to hang.

Our poor victim, Mary, was buried in what is termed a “pauper’s grave”. While she may not have been on people’s minds while she lived, she certainly gained notoriety by her death and for over a century following.

The Irish, a superstitious cultural group, began to swear that Mary was still wandering the neighbourhood, minus one important detail of her person…her head.

Somewhere along the line – Mary’s legend solidified, and Montreal legend now has it that every 7 years, the next appearance should be June 27th, 2019, Mary walks the streets of Griffintown – William and Murray Streets, looking for her head.

This is all that remains at the address. If you are feeling up to the task – take a walk….